India's G20 Presidency was a nationwide endeavour, involving citizens from all walks of life
India’s G20 Presidency stands as an exceptional testament to vision and dedication, showcasing a commitment to promoting Global South voices, fostering conflict resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, and emphasizing digital transformation, women-led development, and Sustainable Development Goals. This historic presidency successfully redirected the G20’s focus towards economic growth and development concerns, especially for the global south.
The overarching message of India’s Presidency was centred on fostering strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth. This commitment was underscored by a comprehensive Action Plan to Accelerate Progress on SDGs and a focus on Green Development for a Sustainable Future. Looking ahead, the G20 introduced high-level principles on Lifestyle for Sustainable Development, Voluntary principles on Hydrogen, the Chennai Principles for a Sustainable and Resilient Blue Economy and the Deccan principles on Food Security and Nutrition.
In line with its promise to 125 Global South countries, India demonstrated accountability and transparency by reconvening the Voice of Global South Summit and delivering a clear report on amplifying their voices. India championed the transformative role of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in achieving inclusive growth, recognizing its significance for the Global South. Additionally, efforts have been made to rejuvenate multilateralism and reform international financial institutions, especially considering the challenges posed by pandemics, particularly in the Global South.
India’s presidency showcased remarkable achievements through logistical feats, with over 220 meetings held in 60 cities, involving over 100,000 international delegates and approximately 6.75 crore Indians. What sets this presidency apart is its emphasis on building long-lasting infrastructure, such as the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, which hosted the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Yashobhoomi convention centre in Dwarka, which hosted the P20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit, and the KTDC Waterscapes Kumarakom Convention Centre, Kerala that hosted the 2nd G20 Sherpas Meeting.
Moreover, India’s focus extended to the hospitality sector, promoting sustainable tourism, plastic-free hotels, and increased women’s participation. This initiative has created opportunities for luxury hotel brands to explore tier 2 and 3 cities, aligning with the global growth projections and standards for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events industry (MICE) and the hospitality sector.
Fuelled by the global Meetings, incentives, and conferences, the event industry is projected to grow to a US $1.5 trillion industry and the global hospitality sector is set to cross US $5.8 trillion by 2030. India could aim towards positioning itself as the new global destination for international events of any scale.
The commitment to public participation (‘Janbhagidhari’) was evident in events hosted alongside G20 meetings, engaging students, women, civil society, the private sector, and academia. Notably, a DPI side event in Kumarakom, Kerala, involved 500 students interacting with global leaders from Infosys, EkStep, Google Pay, NASSCOM, BMGF, Kaleidofin and Gram Cover to name a few.
This side event gave G20 delegates a first-hand experience to India’s DPI success story through an immersive ‘Digital India Experience zone’, showcasing key DPIs developed to address crucial issues like digital identity, financial inclusion and equitable access to education and health through DPIs of India Stack like Aadhar, Co-Win, UPI, DigiLocker, and BHASHINI. They also witnessed the innovative potential of India Stack through private sector applications by Google Pay, PayTM, Microsoft, Fractaboo, AWS, and TCS.
It was satisfying seeing young students pull out their 4G and 5G enabled cell phones during interactions with delegates and exhibit how apps like PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, Aarogya Setu, and Digilocker form a routine part of their daily lives!
Janbhagidhari reached its pinnacle as G20 meetings were conducted in smaller cities across India such as Manesar, Hampi, Mysuru, Srinagar, Kanheri, Kavaratti, Leh, Diu, Kohima, Shillong, Agartala, Rann of Kutch, Gangtok, Itanagar, Aizwal, Ranchi, and many others, bringing out the uniqueness of each part of our nation.
The involvement of over 18,000 artists in over 300 cultural programs not only revived arts and culture but also provided relief during negotiations. This highlighted India’s cultural diplomacy with the grandeur of the Ganga Aarti at Kashi and a performance by legendary artist Padma Bhushan Vidwan Vikku Vinayakram at the Vijaya Vittala temple. The positive atmosphere was further enhanced by the inclusion of Yoga and Ayurveda, offering delegates an immersive experience of India’s cultural richness and architectural marvels.
The Presidency also promoted One District One Product (ODOP), showcasing artisans’ finest products from across India, including Banarasi Silk, Kinnal toys, and Coffees of India. Exposure was given to startups, especially those run by women that aligned with India’s Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) Mission, emphasizing sustainable fashion and traditional Indian lifestyle.
India’s G20 Presidency was a nationwide endeavour, involving citizens from all walks of life. State governments played a crucial role, demonstrating cooperative federalism, with chief ministers overseeing meetings in their states. This presidency has unlocked new capabilities for India, shaping the nation as a global standard-setter while drawing inspiration from its rich civilizational heritage.
As the G20 returns to India in the future, let the nation continue in the spirit of unlocking aspirations and capabilities, shining even brighter during the next Amrit Kaal.
(This article is authored by Nilaya Varma, CEO, Co-Founder and Vijeth Kanahalli, Manager at Primus Partners)
